Need help deciding ring material!

[tripleX]

Hi there,

I’m having a custom engagement ring and wedding band made.

Each will be 2-2.1mm thick and wide.

The engagement ring will feature this diamond as the main stone: https://www.gia.edu/report-check?reportno=1206866540&s=1595602436237

The engagement ring will also have melee diamonds on the ring (cut claw) from the main diamond to around the halfway mark. There will be no shoulders to the ring.

The wedding band will just be a single ring with cut claw melee all around.

Now for the BIG question: Which material do I use for the ring?

I am wanting platinum or palladium, but I’m not too keen on some of the alloys..

The options are:
1) 90% platinum / 10% iridium
2) 95% platinum / 2.5% iridium / 2.5% copper
3) 95% platinum / 5% palladium
4) 95% palladium/ 5% ruthenium OR silver

I much prefer option number 3. Is this fine for the sort of rings I want? Is it a good mix of material for looks/lasting?

Any advice will be much appreciated. Thank you!

 

[motownmama]

Platinum and RU - wears like iron!!! Tough as nails.

 

[jasper]

There is a tradeoff between hardness (resistance to denting or scratching) and ductility (resistance to fracturing).

Johnson Matthey is a major player in the platinum industry. In 2019, they published a report by Ulrich Klotz and Teresa Fryé comparing the strength and ductility of various platinum alloys. These findings depend on two questions:

1. Is your ring going to be cast into "near net shape", with only minimal subsequent work hardening, or is it going to be "worked" into shape? New jewelry is often cast, whereas old jewelry was often heavily cold-worked. This means that historical reliability might be irrelevant to your ring.
2. Will your ring be subjected to "hot isostatic pressing"? This process increases the ductility of most platinum alloys, but has little effect on the 90% platinum / 10% iridium alloy.

https://www.technology.matthey.com/pdf/89-99-jmtr-apr19.pdf

 

[Karl_K]

I would stick with plat 950ru or 900ir they are well understood and offer a good balance of properties and can be worked on by most benches.

 

[Karl_K]

Have you already purchased that diamond?

 

[tripleX]

Platinum and RU - wears like iron!!! Tough as nails.

Thanks! So it will last? Does it feel fine to wear? Or did I misinterpret your comment

 

[tripleX]

I would stick with plat 950ru or 900ir they are well understood and offer a good balance of properties and can be worked on by most benches.

Have you already purchased that diamond?

Thanks for your thoughts! I'm leaning more towards 900ir but would have hoped for 950plat, just not super keen on having copper or ruthenium.

Yes I have purchased it. How come?

 

[tripleX]

There is a tradeoff between hardness (resistance to denting or scratching) and ductility (resistance to fracturing).

Johnson Matthey is a major player in the platinum industry. In 2019, they published a report by Ulrich Klotz and Teresa Fryé comparing the strength and ductility of various platinum alloys. These findings depend on two questions:

1. Is your ring going to be cast into "near net shape", with only minimal subsequent work hardening, or is it going to be "worked" into shape? New jewelry is often cast, whereas old jewelry was often heavily cold-worked. This means that historical reliability might be irrelevant to your ring.
2. Will your ring be subjected to "hot isostatic pressing"? This process increases the ductility of most platinum alloys, but has little effect on the 90% platinum / 10% iridium alloy.

https://www.technology.matthey.com/pdf/89-99-jmtr-apr19.pdf

Thanks! Great find and good questions. I’ll have a proper read tomorrow!

 

[Karl_K]

Thanks for your thoughts! I'm leaning more towards 900ir but would have hoped for 950plat, just not super keen on having copper or ruthenium.

Yes I have purchased it. How come?

ok
cut wise its just decent, its a bit of a flat top. Bright but not the most lively.

 

[tripleX]

ok
cut wise its just decent, its a bit of a flat top. Bright but not the most lively.

What do you mean by a flat top? The stone is GIA triple EX (I know this means nothing), but when I type it into the converter to see what AGS would score it, it comes out as AGS0, so it’s good enough to me. The manufacturer I bought it from classes the luster as excellent and they are bang on. I know there’s no milkiness or tinges and it’s a perfect H&A. Also seen the video and it looks great! Let’s hope it is so in person